Light

Day 52: They say that photography is all about the light. The right light is what that guy with the 40-pound lens is waiting for up at Reflection Lake, and he's so wrapped up in getting the shadows at just the perfect shade of purple that he's oblivious to being eaten by mosquitoes. Light can change the mood of a photo and its ambience, casting a pall on a happy event or brightening a dour one. Photographers talk about light in many terms: backlight, key light, highlight, harsh light, fill light, catch-light, and so on. They carry umbrellas and external flash attachments, strobes, reflectors. Light is an obsession and a passion with us, and yet it is elusive, a perfection never quite attainable, a nirvana just beyond our reach. Too much or too little, and our creations turn commonplace. Poor lighting defeats even our most valiant attempts.

Someone (you know who you are) recently commented on my "good vision." I know you weren't speaking in regard to my sight, but that was my first thought when I read those words. You see, my vision (sight) is lousy, even with corrective lenses. That said, I've learned to compensate. A shadow with a bump in the middle tells me I might trip over a rise in the land, and a bunch of shadows warns me of roots and rocks on the path. I can't see for diddly, but I get by because I've learned to read the light. Does that help my photography? You bet! Light is what brings out those minute details in a subject and turns it into something special, so when you go out to take pictures, don't look for interesting subject matter. Look for interesting light.